Mavnn

I'd be tempted to give him the wrestling package, and the unarmed combat element. Capturing Conan and stripping him of his weapons doesn't seem to slow him down much in combat, and I'm not sure that even STR 25 is up to wrestling some of the creatures that Conan rolls around on the floor with without some martial skills to boost it's effect. As an aside, does Conan ever fight with two weapons? I'm not objecting to it's inclusion, I just can't think of any examples from the stories at the moment. Other than that, looking pretty good as always. Thanks for the work, Michael

I went for a multipower attack of an RKA with Telekinesis, only to pull, only if RKA penetraites when I wrote up my Scorpion clone (one of the first HERO characters I wrote up, in fact, given that when I first ran a one off play test of the game one of the players was playing a Sub-Zero rip off :-) ). I liked the idea of strong characters being able to resist the effect, and it avoided all the annoying 'if you're using stretching can't I hurt you by hitting this' problems. Michael

I'd never thought of that... Harsh. But fair. And funny. Michael

Errr... 18/5 = 4" (8m) Horizontal. You still seem to be doubling everything . It's still a long way, to be fair. But then STR 18 is pretty strong, and it's called HERO for a reason - it makes heroic assumptions, not always realistic ones. Michael

Sorry Wyrm - for better or worse, this has been changed in 5th Ed. Which is also why Healing is a seperate power now. Points from any adjustment power except Healing fade regardless of relative current and starting values. It's more balenced rules wise, but it makes it much harder to build some power concepts IMO. Like vampire bites, for example - you now have to build linked drain/heal rather than just transfer if you want a vampire to heal by biting people. Michael

I think your maths has gone screwy somewhere. A STR 10 man can jump 10/5=2" horizontal (4m) or 10/5/2=1" Vertical (2m). Fairly reasonable for a untrained high jump. *Looks back at numbers* I think you've doubled the scale of everything somewhere. Michael

You know, I'm not sure how healthy that is... Having said that, given I've died on multiple occassions in my dreams, I can't really comment on anyone elses. Michael (Living disproof of an urban legend)

Nice. Tough enough you have to be careful (especially with it's ambush abilities), but not unbeatable. Suits the feel of the monster nicely . Out of interest, have you been watching Alien recently? It has that 'know it's there but can't see it coming' feel to it. Michael

I actually like the idea of Summoning the projectile - easy rules wise (it acts as an independent entity, so will do everything you want), and has a built in way of stopping doomsday - you defeat the summoned 'creature'. Build it with suitable defenses and you're good to go. Maybe somthing like a takes no STUN automatum with: Desolidifacation, not versus Energy (-1/2?); Large damage shield with Affects Solid; Tunnelling; A huge explosion with one non-recoverable charge and no personal immunity . Michael

Nice. I particularly like the armour for shapeshifters legend. Michael

Looks good. I'm just waiting for your Orochi write up now . On to the critique: Overall, I like. Powerful, skilled, but not overwhelmingly skilled. I always got the impression this guy won more through his power than through his amazing skill and accuracy and you capture that well. He can dish it out like he should be able to as well. The Godpress looks good, although flight seems more appropriate than teleport for the linked movement power (after all, people could do things like intercept him on the way if they were ready and waiting). The Deadend Screamer looks like it needs Personal Immunity and No Range added to it, or else it could get a bit embarrissing when he blows himself up. All these are fairly minor issues though. The one thing major I would say is that I'm not sure he's tough enough at taking it. His defenses aren't immense (and I couldn't see any resistant defenses at all), which I can kind of buy given he's an MA, but he also has 'only' (he's a mega villian, remember) 50 odd STUN and no damage reduction. I think if I was building him I would either go with at least 50% Damage Reduction, or maybe just a whole load of OCV with block to represent the 'perfect block' aspect of video games. Michael

Well, given you asked... Not amazingly original, but different enough from yours I thought you might be interested. This is a fairly low mystic vampire - he doesn't have many of the further out abilities (turn to mist, turn into animals, etc.). He's just a hunter, with the enhanced strength, speed and perception you would expect, along with a bit of mind control to represent his 'feral nature' and some mist creation because he needed a signature power. I haven't given him any disads, mainly because they vary so drastically from game to game for vampires (and in some settings from vampire to vampire). The list you gave your own template above looked pretty good. Standard Vampire Player: Val Char Cost 35 STR 25 26 DEX 48 23 CON 26 14 BODY 8 13 INT 3 17 EGO 14 25 PRE 15 18 COM 4 20 PD 13 20 ED 15 6 SPD 24 12 REC 0 46 END 0 44 STUN 0 7" RUN22" SWIM07" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 197 Cost Power END 60 Blood Sucking Psycho: Multipower, 60-point reserve 1u 1) Bite: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 0 1/2d6 (plus STR) (vs. PD), Armor Piercing x1 (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (20 Active Points); Restrained Targets Only (-1/2) 1u 2) Drink the blood: Drain 3d6: BODY (30 Active Points); Restrained Targets Only (-1/2), Only if Target Has Taken BODY Damage (ie. is bleeding) (-1/2) 3 2u 3) Ferocious Fighter: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 2u 4) Faster Than the Eye Can See: Teleportation 15" (30 Active Points); Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4) 3 3u 5) Pursue the Prey: Running 8" (x4 Noncombat), Combat Acceleration/Deceleration (+1/4) (29 Active Points) [Notes: Adds modifiers to base Running when slot selected] 3 2u 6) "His Eyes are Like Bottomless Pits": Mind Control 2d6, Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1), Cumulative (x4 max.) (+1) (30 Active Points); Eye Contact Required (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4) 3 2u 7) Shroud of Mist: Change Environment 8" radius, -3 PER Roll: Normal Hearing, -3 PER Roll: Normal Sight (30 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) 3 1u 8) Spread the Infection: Transform 6d6: Human Into Vampire (Cosmetic) (30 Active Points); 1 Charges (-2), Gradual Effect (1 Day; -1 3/4), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12); -1 1/4), Character May Take No Other Actions (-1/4), Costs Endurance (Costs END Every Phase; -1/2), Must Drain Target Immediately Before (-1/4) 3 7 Regeneration: Healing 1d6 (max. Healed Points: 6), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12); -1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) [Notes: No Healing Max (see FREd p. 120).] 18 Undead Resilience: (Total: 25 Active Cost, 18 Real Cost) Damage Resistance (5 PD/5 ED) (Real Cost: 5) plus Physical Damage Reduction, 50% (20 Active Points); STUN Only (-1/2) (Real Cost: 13) 5 Child of the Night: Nightvision 6 Hunter Spots His Prey: Enhanced Perception (+2 to PER Rolls for All Sense Groups) Powers Cost: 110 Cost Skill 12 +4 with Dodge, Strike and Grab 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Climbing 14- 5 Stealth 15- 15 Unique Skills Skills Cost: 38 Cost Talent 5 Simulate Death (+2 to roll) Talents Cost: 5 Total Character Cost: 350 Base Points: 200 Experience Required: 150 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 Michael Edit: Forgot to mention - due to his lack of mystic-ness, he also stays dead when you kill him. That's not hard to change if you desire, though. Edited Again: Erm... that transform should be Major and have less dice. Oops. The idea was it took several days to create a new vampire, giving the Hero's a chance to rescue their DNPCs - and even after the final bite is given, they still have part of the day to find an antidote due to the delayed effect .

I think I can answer one of these... I've heard Storn's working on a painted cover. I'm willing and ready to be corrected by someone who knows better, though. Michael

Do you think the team should have some decent mental powers (given their exemplar role)? I know Witchcraft has some, but they're a bit lacking... Also, it seems this lack would make them a bit vulnerable to attacks by other mentalists - they don't have much MD between them and Witchcraft's mental powers would be hard pressed to defend the group from a dedicated mentalist. So - should the champions be a larger team than it is? Should Witchcraft have dropped her mediocre physical combat abilities to specialise in esoteric and mental attacks? Do you think it's fine as is? Do you think this whole question is a thinly vailed excuse to keep the thread going? Michael

Maybe I'm being slow here, but why not buy a computer with the required skills to use the suit, Tactics and a 'Fight when wearers unconscious' program? Sure work from the SFX and all that, but sometimes the SFX and the mechanic can be the same thing. Michael

All sounding good, and like Nato I'm mainly chiming in to get the emails. But thought I should point our that you can use brought HTH attacks with martials arts without paying for the weapon element. p. 119, FRED Personally I'd still buy him the weapon element anyway - it's only 1 pt, and IMHO he should be able to use any club, not just his 'special' clubs. Michael

How about AoE Line (with Continuous etc.)? Buy the length of the line up to the maximum altitude of your 'flying thing'. IRC a continuous AE affects everyone it moves over at least once (in the same way that it effects everyone who moves into it). Michael

I was more referring to how I saw the relative costing than suggesting you brought more Strength. Having said that, there is president for characters buying stats above NCM with limitations - STR only to do damage to represent a particularly lethal fighter would get full consideration from me as a GM. Having thought about it a bit more, the way I'm looking at it now, a DC costs 5pts. Therefore, if your CSL can do nothing but add DCs, it should probably cost you 5pts per DC - so a -1 limitation. To be honest though, if you're wanting to play a character who is that good in HTH combat, I'd probably by grabbing for the Ultimate Martial Artist. For me, martial arts are the primary way of doing extra damage in HERO due to skill, and it gives you more in the way of fun alternatives in combat. Michael

The problem with that is that you make the CSLs much less efficient than Strength for increasing Melee damage. Remember, it takes 2 CSLs for one DC, so if you set it to -1/2 it costs you 7 points to gain +1 DC - a pretty poor way of spending points. If my GM ruled -1/2, I'd be asking about buying STR only to do damage instead - even if he ruled it a -0 lim, it would be cheaper. Michael

The one time I did this I bought it as 5pt Melee levels with 'Only to do Extra Damage' -2. Lets face it, you can get 1DC and a whole load of other stuff for 5pts of Strength, so I didn't want to penalise people who bought a more character appropriate ability. Michael

Growth, UAA, Only versus brain matter (-1)... Sorry, the thread title got to me. Michael

Ah - I think we're making different assumptions. I would say that aborting still trumps turn order and allows you to change your action (although of course, you then lose the action you declared). i.e. The Brick (DEX 18) and Fastboy (DEX 26) are in a fight. They both act in phase 12. The Brick declares he'll put levels in OCV and try and tag Fastboy when his action is reached. Fastboy declares his neutron star punch once-per-day mega-attack. Then actions start in reverse order. Fastboy winds up for the neutron star punch. The Brick thinks better of it and aborts to a dodge. The attack misses. The Brick does no other action (he's aborted already). Next phase. For things like block, missile deflection, etc. - these will actually now be used more often by fast characters as they'll know which of the slower characters is trying to tag them with what. Assuming that the character can see the slower opponent - I'm not sure where the 360 degree n-ray thing came from. If you get tagged by an unseen assailant, you get tagged by an unseen assailant. Your character gets no warning either way. Advantages: it gives fast characters a tactical knowledge advantage. It vastly reduces the need of fast characters to complicate the turn sequence by holding actions (normally done so you can see what a slower opponent is doing, then act before him anyway...). Whether you consider these advantages depends on your taste. As an aside, I'm not aware this rule did operate in DnD 2nd ed, although I could be wrong. Having said that, even if it did I say grab the rules that work for your group where ever you find them. Michael

?? It makes no difference to any of these - it just means that if you have a higher DEX, you're more likely to know if you need to use them in advance. It does change the balance of the game (it gives higher DEX characters an even bigger edge, which you might not want), but it has no effect on the maneuvers mentioned. More to the point, I know of people who have used this system successfully - so it obviously does work for them. I'm not claiming it's the be all and end all, or even that I'd choose to use it myself but I find a blanket 'it won't work' somewhat narrow in outlook. Michael

I'd be tempted by Mental Damage Reduction 50% - reduces the effects of mental attacks by half... ...well almost. Closely enough for these purposes though, I would have thought. Michael

It works fine, actually (although as you say, it's not rules kosher as such). What made you think it wouldn't, other than it not being in the rulebook? Michael